Pass/fail: See if these ideas make the grade


Arizona Daily Wildcat
Friday, September 30, 2005

Fun, fun, fun till daddy takes the moped away

Sure, it's inevitable on any college campus that there will be clashes between pedestrians and bicyclists, but some geniuses have apparently found it necessary to add an entirely different dimension to our already crowded walkways - motors. Why, of course! On a crowded campus of 36,000, why not throw in the added difficulty of having to dodge motorized scooters and their oily plumes of blue smoke? And while the fact that the UA campus is only a square mile makes the need for these vehicles dubious at best, the pilots of these motorized maladies have exposed us all to a little more than noise and pollution (one girl who was sighted apparently thought little of wearing a miniskirt while astride her moped). For this, these annoying vehicles get a Fail.

A campaign worth watching

There are few things on campus that have garnered so much contempt and scorn from students as the Alumni Plaza. Apparently, students have little sympathy for alumni who funnel their money to causes that don't benefit academics (unless, of course, the alumni were willing to give up their basketball seats). What some students have failed to notice, though, is that the UA's recently completed fundraising effort, Campaign Arizona, was successful in pulling in more than $1 billion since 1997. Obviously, $1 billion could go a long way in improving a number of UA shortcomings, but in the meantime, Campaign Arizona gets a Pass.

Zona Zoo's animal problem

Give UA students an inch, and they'll be sure to take a mile. Not more than a day had passed since the announcement of the new student section in McKale Center when students were up in arms about the new plan's various fallibilities. But while the north side of McKale might not be the most desirable location for students, and while a lottery system might not be the most satisfactory method of allocation, larger problems loom on the horizon. The student section's first-come, first-served policy almost invites chaos. It's no stretch of the imagination to envision eager students clambering over one another to take what few courtside seats there are. Hopefully, Arizona Athletics is prepared for this. Until then, the new student section gets a Fail.

A field of dreams

The fact that we live in a desert probably isn't lost on anyone, but that doesn't seem to stop students from trampling the only real semblance of greenery on campus - the UA Mall. What's sad about the destruction of our beloved sod is that no one seems to care or notice. That is, not until large cranes and construction crews descended on our campus to erect black steel monstrosities for this weekend's Campaign Arizona festivities (and to replace the scenic flower beds in front of the Student Union Memorial Center with asphalt). One would hope that once the ever-so-generous alumni are through with their cavorting this weekend, they would be so kind as to bring back our grass and flowers, for if they were to take away one of the few sources of color on this campus, it would most surely be a Fail.

Opinions Board

Opinions are determined by the Wildcat opinions board and written by one of its members. They are Caitlin Hall, Ryan Johnson, Damion LeeNatali, Aaron Mackey, Mike Morefield and Tim Runestad.